Taking It Easy On Apple?

Her decision finding Apple liable in the e-book price-fixing case came swiftly and firmly enough, but Judge Denise Cote has recently shown Cupertino some measure of mercy.

“The judge revealed this week that her final order would spare Apple on what she considered the two most contentious issues proposed by the DoJ,” explains Andrew Albanese, senior writer for Publishers Weekly. “First, the final injunction will not seek to regulate Apple’s activities in the App Store, and second, Cote said she would employ only a scaled-back version of an external monitor for Apple.

Also feeling the love this week are e-book consumers who stand to benefit from generous settlements in the same case. Projected rebates from the publishers’ e-book settlements in the Apple case will more than double.

“That’s because a new ‘plan of distribution’ has been submitted to the court that will combine roughly $93 million from the most recent Macmillan and Penguin Settlements with $69 million from the first publisher prior settlements into one fund,” Albanese notes. “If Cote signs off on the deal immediately, then those credits will be pumped into the holiday book-buying season.”

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.